Marc Brown
Artist Interview
You swim in the sea every day, do you think there is a link between your daily swims and painting practice?
Possibly. However, the most direct link is probably the journey to and from the beach in the mornings and my sketches I make after my swims. The primary purpose of the cold water dip is to set my clocks back to zero and retain a sense of perspective.
You were born and raised in Southwold and continue to live in the area. What do you like about this part of the world?
Suffolk has a very soft and gentle character about it with it’s rolling landscapes of arable farmland and remote stretches of coastline. A bleak wintry salt marsh and the call of a Curlew would be my quintessential Suffolk setting.
Your paintings often feature large expanses of sky. Can you tell us more about what draws you to paint this?
If you’re fortunate enough to be enjoying the outdoors in Suffolk, and in particular the coast, there’s no escaping it! Actually, I think the fact that I’ve known the Suffolk landscape and it’s coastline all of my life, it’s become a part of who I am. And my style of painting is quite literally a result of half a century of assimilation, observation and experience.
What is your favourite season in Suffolk?
I enjoy all seasons. They all offer something to relish, but if I had to choose a favourite month it would probably be September and it’s relaxed pace and deep blue skies.
Do you have a preferred time of day to paint?
The morning.
What attracts you to paint as a creative medium?
It’s immediacy.
Do you have a favourite painter?
Trying to pick one favourite would be impossible. Artists I admire include Edward Wadsworth, and his surreal marine paintings in particular; Alfred Wallis, for his haunting and tragic story as much as his beautifully innocent paintings; Scottish artist and professor Will Maclean MBE (whom I’ve had the pleasure of meeting) for his deeply personal and powerful work which incorporates a broad range of both two and three dimensional mediums. I could go on….